The Lamb and the Shepherd...

Throughout the bible we see many uses of analogies and parabolic teachings from Jesus. The reason for the use of such methods is in order to make the messages of Christ and the word of God to be easily understood and able to relate to people. We see the explanation in Romans 1:20, "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so they are without excuse," (King James Version). The plain interpretation of the verse is this: God's power and authority is shown to us on a daily basis through the splendor of natural creation.

So, moving on to the main point of this thought... The lamb and the shepherd. We, as Christians, are often refered to as a flock of sheep in the bible and the pastors, apostles, teachers, preachers, and other church leaders are charged with the role of being the shepherd of God's flock (Christians). Based upon what the fact that God will often show his principles and teachings through nature and creation, let's take a brief look at a literal lamb. Sheep are among the dumbest of all animals. They have poor vision and are often motivated/driven by food. Sheep are easily drawn away. Sheep become very agitated when they are separated from their herds, and also have their own "flight zone" which is effectively their own personal space, and when that is violated the sheep will go into survival mode and run away due to the discomfort. Sheep also have to be led; if a dominant sheep walked off of a cliff, the rest of the herd would follow.

It is really funny how if we look at these facts about the characteristics of sheep and apply it to our own human behaviors the similarities we see.

Humans are driven by their passions as sheep are driven by their desire to eat.
Humans are often bothered if away from their relatives and friends as sheep are when separated by the herd.
Humans often lack common sense, sheep are one of the dumbest animals in all creation.
Humans are uncomfortable when their personal space is invaded; Sheep run away when their flight zone is trespassed.

Humans can be led astray by a strong leader, and will often take many of their herd with them; sheep can be led to death by a dominant sheep and never question their fate.

With a brief profile of sheep and humans, lets look at some practices of the shepherd.
If a lamb goes astray from the herd, the shepherd will break the leg of the lamb, and carry the lamb on his/her chest in order to create trust and dependence upon the shepherd. Shepherds have to lead the sheep and keep them away from danger, combating natural predatory animals, and shielding their flock from the elements. Sheep can first be led by the promise of food (leading with the sound of a feed can) but upon becoming familiar with the shepherd and the path of the flock, are easier to lead and herd.

Being that our leaders within the church and the body of Christ are refered to as shepherds, the word of God also admonishes those in charge. The prophet Ezekiel in chapter 34 of his book is especially prudent on correcting and admonishing the shepherds of Israel. "Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?" Ezekiel 34:26. The prophet Jeremiah is also strong against the misleading of shepherds in Jeremiah 8:11, "You say, said God, Peace! Peace! Where there is no peace. And you have not healed my people."

The shortfallings of the shepherds of Israel, which is literal in the sense of the Jewish people, and also a metaphor for modern Christianity, was the reason why Christ came to be the good, the great, and the chief shepherd amongst His people.

When the leaders of the church are not fulfilling their shepherding role amongst their flock, their sheep will scatter. When the leaders of the church are not nurting and feeding their flock, the flock remains stagnant in the same place. These may be strong words, but I have seen churches of thousands of people in cities, yet there is no peace in the city, there is still immense poverty in the city.

The church is called to take up cause for the widows, the poor, the orphans, the aliens in our land, yet we are still able to relate to Jeremiah's rebuke, You say peace! Peace!, but there is no peace and you have not healed my people. It breaks my heart to see so many Christians in one place who do nothing and are ashamedly unprepared and unaware of their calling to be a light in the world to exhibit the character of our Lord Jesus through actions and charity. It also grieves me to see smaller congregations fostering the same people who are stagnant and are not growing.

We are all able to be redeemed, forgiven, restored, healed, and blessed by the saving grace of our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who is refered to in the scripture as the "Good shepherd that gives His life for the sheep," in John 10:11, and also as the "Great shepherd" in Hebrews 13:20-21 which states, "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood the everlasting covenant."In 1 Peter 5:4 (amplified), Christ is reffered to as the "Chief Shepherd," "And then when the Chief Shepherd is revealed you will win the conquerer's crown of glory."

The next time you feel lost, led astray, broken, wounded, or hurt; remember that the shepherd will sometimes break the limb of the lamb to establish dependence, to seperate them from the herd to nurture and have the lamb cling to themself, think about the Lord being our great shepherd and know he is with you always.

Sheep facts: www.cals.ncsu.edu/an_sci/extension/animal/.../sheep/sheepfacts.htm, http://www.sheep101.info/interestingfacts.html